Five Minutes
by Violet Rose of Darkness
Summary: "Five minutes. Spencer Jill Hastings was in this world five minutes before Veronica first held her. And she would keep holding on until her last breath on this Earth."


**Just wanted to explore Veronica's character a little more. She loved Spencer unconditionally, even thought she wasn't the one to give birth to her and she was the product of a one-night stand concerning her own husband. Honestly, all of the moms on PLL were kickass (except Jessica, screw her). Anyway, please enjoy!**

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Veronica Hastings was beyond furious.

The first time it happened, she could let it go. She and Peter had been having problems and Jessica was, well, Jessica. He had promised her it was a slip-up, a mistake. He swore that it wouldn't happen again. He promised her that his 'secret love-child' would never interfere with the life they had planned for themselves and their daughter Melissa.

Apparently, some people had a great capacity for making the same mistake twice.

* * *

 _Veronica sighed as she went through the files one more time. This client's case was proving to be rather difficult. Nothing she couldn't handle, of course, but it would require a little more work than some of the others. She felt like she was fairly close to a breakthrough as she scanned over the files' contents once more. She groaned when she heard the doorbell ring._

 _Veronica reluctantly got up from her seat at the kitchen table and opened the door without bothering to check who it was. That was a mistake. She realized this as her hand clenched into a fist. "Jessica," she spat out. She couldn't believe the nerve of this woman, popping over like any other neighbor to borrow a lawnmower (or a husband) after all she'd done. "What do you want?"_

 _A very pregnant Jessica DiLaurentis plastered a fake smile on her face. "Veronica," she greeted. "How are you?"_

 _"I was fine up until a few seconds ago," Veronica ground out. "Now, I'll ask again. What do you want?"_

 _Jessica kept up the obviously forced façade. "Just to chat. Do you mind if I come in?"_

 _Veronica, in fact, did mind, but knew that her neighbor was playing at something. Jessica was_ always _playing at something and her own curiosity was getting the better of her. So she begrudgingly moved aside. "Make it quick, Jessica," she snapped._

 _Jessica gave her a satisfied smirk in return before entering the Hastings household. "Have I ever told you about my twin sister, Mary?" she asked, faking aloofness. "_ She's in Radley."

 _Veronica cocked an eyebrow; that was news to her. "I didn't even know you had a sister," she responded._

 _Jessica waved it aside as if the revelation of her having a look-alike was no big deal. "Well, she's been in and out for the last decade or so. An incident when we were teenagers. I'm afraid my dear sister's never been the same."_

 _"And you're telling me this because...?" She couldn't care less about whatever deranged relatives Jessica had. Though, looking at the woman across from her, it made sense her family members weren't the sanest people around._

 _Jessica pursed her lips. "You see, my sister's pregnant," she revealed. "It's happened before, mind you, but this time we know who the father is. Because Mary told us."_

 _Veronica suddenly felt as if an ice-cold hand was clenching her stomach. "And who might that be?" she choked out, struggling to keep her face neutral._

 _Jessica, curse that vile woman, smirked. "Peter."_

* * *

Veronica was waiting for her husband as he was coming home from a business trip. She could let it slide once, but not again. He needed to answer for what he'd done. "Veronica," Peter greeted as he walked through the front door, pressing a light kiss to his wife's temple. He looked around for their daughter. "Where's Melissa?"

"Sleeping," answered Veronica coldly. Before he husband could respond, she cut him off. "You know, Jessica stopped by today."

Peter raised an eyebrow at that. "Jessica? What did she want?"

"She told me about her sister." Veronica's eyes narrowed. "Apparently, she's in Radley. And she's pregnant."

"Okay? What does that have to-"

"I was on a business trip," Veronica interrupted him. "In Chicago. Apparently, you were at a restaurant when Jessica walked in. Or who you _thought_ was Jessica."

Peter's eyes widened as he realized what she was alluding to. "Veronica-"

"You promised me, Peter. You promised you'd never do this again." She put her head in her hands. "Now, do you know what's happening? Our daughter is going to have a sibling. A sibling who's going to be born in Radley. A sibling that she'll never get to meet. How would we ever even begin to explain that to her?" Tears slipped out of his wife's eyes, more out of frustration than anything else.

Peter held her close. "We don't have to deal with that family," he assured her. "The baby can be adopted, we can just let it be."

Veronica's eyes were tired as she looked at him. "Peter, this is your child. If we don't- we can't-" She took a deep breath to calm herself. "I can't stand the thought of doing nothing. That baby, they'll be swallowed up and forgotten." She shook her head. "We can't let that happen."

Peter hesitated, before nodding.

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Veronica sat in the car, trying to calm herself. This baby was Peter's and, she scowled, Mary Drake's. Not hers. What right did she have to even be here? What right did she have to take a child away from their mother? She shook her head. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe the baby would be better off somewhere in the foster system...

The car door suddenly opened and she was handed a small, white bundle. She took it gently in her hands, pushing back the blanket to reveal two dark brown eyes looking up at her.

Veronica smiled. "Hi," she whispered softly, as if talking too loud would hurt the child. The baby was absolutely beautiful. She felt all her regrets washing away as the baby girl wrapped its hand around her finger. She felt herself falling in love with the newborn.

Five minutes. Spencer Jill Hastings was in this world five minutes before Veronica first held her. And she would hold onto her until her last breath on this Earth.

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 **As I said before, "kickass mom." Anyway, please review!**


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